CHAPTER 10: The Cursed Revealed
1442 Words
(Part 1)
The stranger's laughter echoed long after he had vanished.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
The crimson clouds slowly faded, but the fear they left behind remained.
Aria couldn't move.
His final words repeated endlessly in her mind.
"Ask her why her nightmares always end with your death."
Kael turned to face her.
His blue eyes searched hers.
"Is it true?"
Aria lowered her head.
"I..."
She couldn't answer.
Not because she wanted to hide the truth.
But because she had only just remembered.
The council chamber was filled once again.
Kael sat at the head of the table while Rowan, the elders, and the captains listened in silence.
"The Blood Fang Order has become bolder," Rowan reported.
"They attacked us in broad daylight."
"They're no longer hiding."
One elder slammed his fist on the table.
"This is exactly why the girl should leave!"
"If she stays, Blackthorn will become their battlefield."
Another elder nodded.
"We must think of the pack."
Kael slowly stood.
"I am thinking of the pack."
"And abandoning an innocent woman to murderers isn't how Blackthorn survives."
The room fell silent.
His voice grew colder.
"If anyone wishes to hand Aria over..."
"...challenge me for the Alpha title."
No one spoke.
Every elder lowered their eyes.
Meanwhile, Aria wandered through the castle library.
Ancient scrolls covered every shelf.
She searched desperately for anything related to the Blood Moon.
Hours passed.
Nothing.
Just as she was about to give up, she noticed an old book hidden behind a loose stone in the wall.
Unlike the others, it had no title.
Its black leather cover was marked with a silver crescent moon.
The moment Aria touched it...
The book opened by itself.
Its pages turned rapidly.
Then stopped.
A portrait appeared.
Aria gasped.
The woman in the painting looked exactly like her.
The same silver eyes.
The same dark hair.
Only older.
Beneath the portrait were faded words.
Queen Lyra The Last Moon Guardian
"My mother..." Aria whispered.
A folded letter slipped from between the pages.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
The ink had faded with time, but the message was still readable.
If you are reading this...
...then I have already failed to protect you.
Run from anyone who bears the Black Thorn Crest.
Trust no Alpha.
Especially Kael Blackthorn.
Aria's heart nearly stopped.
She read the final sentence again.
Especially Kael Blackthorn.
"No..."
"It can't be."
At that moment, the library door opened.
Kael stepped inside.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
Aria quickly hid the letter behind her back.
Kael immediately noticed.
"What are you hiding?"
"Nothing."
"You've never been good at lying."
She hesitated.
Then slowly handed him the letter.
Kael read it.
His expression changed.
Not to anger.
To shock.
"I've never seen this before."
"You expect me to believe that?" Aria asked.
"The letter says I should never trust you."
Kael looked into her eyes.
"Do you?"
Before she could answer...
A sharp pain shot through her head.
She staggered backward.
Images flooded her mind.
A woman running through flames.
A baby wrapped in silver cloth.
A man wearing the Blackthorn crest.
Blood.
Screams.
Then—
A voice.
"Protect her..."
"No matter what happens..."
The vision disappeared.
Aria collapsed.
Kael caught her before she hit the floor.
She looked up at him, breathing heavily.
"I saw someone..."
"A man."
"He was wearing your family's crest."
Kael's face paled.
"What did he do?"
Aria closed her eyes.
"He..."
Before she could finish—
The castle shook violently.
BOOM!
A guard burst into the library.
"My Alpha!"
"The prisoners have escaped!"
"And..."
He struggled to breathe.
"...the dungeon door was opened from the inside."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Impossible."
"The keys never leave my belt."
The guard swallowed hard.
"That's not the worst part."
He looked directly at Aria.
"The escaped prisoners are all saying the same thing."
"What?"
The guard's voice trembled.
"They claim..."
"...the Moon Queen is still alive."
PART 2(The Cursed Revealed)
The guard's words hung in the air like a death sentence.
"...the Moon Queen is still alive."
Aria's heart pounded.
"My... mother?"
Kael looked sharply at the guard.
"Who started that rumor?"
"We don't know, Alpha. The prisoners all began saying it at the same time. It's as if... someone planted the idea in their minds."
Kael frowned.
"Rowan."
His Beta appeared in the doorway almost instantly.
"Take every prisoner to separate cells. No one speaks to anyone."
"Yes, Alpha."
As Rowan left, Kael turned to Aria.
"You should rest."
She shook her head.
"How can I rest after hearing that?"
"If my mother is alive..."
"I have to find her."
Kael's expression softened.
"And if it's a trap?"
Aria fell silent.
Deep down, she knew he was right.
The Blood Fang Order had been one step ahead of them from the beginning.
That night...
A violent storm swept across Blackthorn Castle.
Rain lashed against the windows while thunder rolled over the mountains.
Unable to sleep, Aria wandered through the silent corridors.
She found herself standing outside a large wooden door.
It was slightly open.
Curiosity got the better of her.
She stepped inside.
The room was dimly lit by a single fireplace.
Weapons lined one wall.
Ancient maps covered another.
On a wooden shelf sat dozens of books.
This was Kael's private study.
Aria turned to leave.
Then she noticed a portrait hanging above the fireplace.
It showed a young Kael standing beside a smiling man and woman.
His parents.
For the first time, she saw him smiling.
A real smile.
Not the guarded expression he wore now.
She walked closer.
Beneath the portrait was an old silver locket.
Without thinking, she picked it up.
The moment it opened...
A folded piece of parchment slipped onto the floor.
Aria bent down and unfolded it.
It wasn't a letter.
It was a prophecy.
When the Blood Moon reaches its highest point, the Cursed Alpha must make a choice.
He must sacrifice his mate...
...or lose his own life forever.
Aria's hands began to shake.
"No..."
She reread the words.
There was no mistake.
The prophecy was clear.
Kael had known.
All this time...
He had known.
A floorboard creaked behind her.
She spun around.
Kael stood in the doorway.
His eyes immediately fell on the parchment in her hands.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"You weren't supposed to see that," he said quietly.
Aria looked at him, tears filling her eyes.
"Is it true?"
Kael closed his eyes.
"...Yes."
"You knew your mate would die?"
"I knew the prophecy."
"And you still brought me here?"
"I couldn't leave you to die."
Aria's voice cracked.
"But now one of us has to."
Silence filled the room.
Finally, Kael stepped closer.
"I've spent my entire life believing that curse."
"But I refuse to believe fate can't be changed."
He gently took the prophecy from her hands.
"I won't sacrifice you."
Aria searched his face.
"What if there's no other way?"
Kael's blue eyes locked onto hers.
"Then I'll be the one who pays the price."
Before Aria could answer, the castle suddenly trembled.
A blast of icy wind burst through the windows, extinguishing every candle.
Darkness swallowed the room.
A sinister laugh echoed through the castle.
"So touching..."
"But your choice no longer matters."
A massive black portal opened in the center of the study.
A figure cloaked in crimson stepped out, his face hidden beneath a hood.
Behind him marched dozens of Blood Fang warriors.
The stranger slowly removed his hood.
His crimson eyes glowed with terrifying power.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"I am Malachar..."
"...the one who placed the curse on the Blackthorn bloodline."
Kael immediately drew his sword.
"You should have stayed dead."
Malachar laughed.
"I did."
"But curses have a way of bringing monsters back."
He raised his hand.
Black chains erupted from the floor, wrapping around Aria before anyone could react.
"Kael!" she screamed.
Kael lunged forward, but another wave of dark magic slammed him into the wall.
The entire castle shook.
Malachar smiled as he looked at the terrified Aria.
"The Blood Moon is closer than you think."
"And when it rises..."
"You won't choose between love and sacrifice."
"I'll choose for you."
With another burst of black light, Malachar—and Aria—vanished.
The room fell silent.
Kael slowly pushed himself to his feet.
His fists clenched so tightly that blood dripped onto the floor.
His wolf roared with fury inside him.
For the first time in years...
The Cursed Alpha wasn't fighting to protect his kingdom.
He was going to wage war...
To bring back the woman he loved.
- Writer
